Theoretical and empirical studies on ex-ante as well as post rating and establishing methodologies for Structural Reform Special Zones

在这项研究中，我们分析了特殊经济区，以澄清是什么因素不仅促进了这些地区的经济福利和经济活动。为实现上述目标，进行了大量的邮寄调查、深度访谈和计量分析。其中，以下分析具有代表性：(1)中小企业创新与特殊经济区和产业集群的关系；(2)医疗支出与电子健康系统使用之间的关系，旨在将信息技术(IT)应用于医疗领域；(3)泰国、越南、菲律宾和印度尼西亚经济特区产业升级和创新的国际比较研究。在上述研究中，日本和其他国家建立经济特区对地区福利和经济状况都有一定的影响。特别是在医疗领域，已经证明使用电子健康系统的地区可以降低医疗费用，经济特区在东亚经济发展中的作用是不必要的。这项研究有力地支持了这一假说，即使在日本国内，经济特区也对区域振兴起到了积极的作用。

In this research, we analyzed special economic regions in order to clarify what are factors to promote not only economic welfare and economic activities in those areas. Mail surveys, in-depth interviews and econometric analyses were intensively conducted to achieve the above goals. Among them, the following analyses are representing examples :(1) relationship between innovations of SMEs (Small- and Medium-sized Enterprise) and special economic regions as well as industrial clusters ;(2) relationship between medical expenditures and the utilization of eHealth System, which is aimed to apply IT (Information Technology) in the medical field ; and(3) ainternational comparative study of industrial upgrading and innovations in industrial parksSpecial Economic Zones (SEZ) in Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia. In all above researches, establishing special economic regions in Japan and in other counties are proved to have a certain impact on the regional welfare and economic conditions. Especially, in the medical field, the regions which have been utilizing eHealth systems are proved to reduce medical expenditures, and it is needless to emphasize the role of SEZs in the East Asian economic development. This research strongly supports the hypothesis and even inside Japan, special economic regions had a positive role to the revitalization of the regions.